The Red Queen Another theory used to explain why sexual reproduction occurs is the Red Queen theory. The basic idea is that in order to keep up with viruses and other parasites, predators, prey, and each other we must reproduce sexually. In "Alice in Wonderland", the Red Queen must constantly run to stay at her original position. Species end up running, because individuals compete and then evolve, but the species being hurt by that evolving just then evolve themselves, and all the species end up in a race that never goes anywhere. Therefore, sexual reproduction is seen as beneficial in this race for a few reasons. First, it gives the individuals chances to repair genes before passing them on to progeny. That repair happens in meiosis. Meiosis also allows for recombination, which redistributes genes into new and perhaps more favorable arrangements. Sexual reproduction also leads to variation in immunological defenses due to heterozygosity. The gene for sickle cell anemia is helpful if the gene is heterozygous, because in that form is also guards against malaria. This theory also brings into play facts about survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest is not just about outrunning your enemies, it's also about outperforming other individuals of your own species. We use our intellects not to solve practical problems but to outwit each other...So what matters is not how clever and crafty you are, but how much more clever and craftier you are than other people...Selection withing the species is always going to be more important than selection between the species. (Ridley 34) This comes from the Red Queen through the idea that each individual needs to outperform the others of its species. Since all individuals try to achieve that, they end up running just to keep their own place. As the individuals run so does the species. The Red Queen also explains why we have the different sexes, and do not reproduce hermaphroditically. Hermaphrodites can still sexually reproduce, the can do so with any other individual of their species, because both individuals carry the necessary gonads to be of either sex. Some species use this method of sexual reproduction, but not all. The explanation for gender is that the organelles in the parents want to pass on only the DNA from their parent organism. This leads to destroyed DNA and death of the newly fertilized/created individual, except in organism with gender. Then one sex (in humans the male) only adds DNA and no organelles. Human sperm carry only DNA, no cytoplasm or anything else. Picture of the Red Queen copyright www.imdb.com